Apparatus for processing cheese

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for continuously processing cheese curd forms the cheese curd into a series of ribbons on a conveyor belt used to separate the whey from the cheese curd and then uses a series of plowshares, augers and other deflection means to displace or rotate the ribbons onto bare segments of the conveyor belt to enhance the draining of the whey from the cheese curd.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to the field of cheeseprocessing equipment. More particularly, the present invention relatesto a method and apparatus for continuously processing cheese curd byforming the cheese curd into a series of ribbons on a conveyor belt usedto separate the whey from the cheese curd and then using a series ofplowshares or other deflection means to displace the ribbons onto baresegments of the conveyor belt to enhance the draining of this operation.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, conventional cheese processing has been mechanized toimprove the performance and efficiency of cheese manufacture. Severalcheese making systems have been introduced for the continuous processingof raw cheese curd, including the draining of the whey from the rawcheese curd and the fusing, matting and subsequent miling of the cheesecurd.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,636,630 and 4,217,818 describe continuous systems forthe manufacture of cheese in which the curds and whey are separatedeither just before or on the first to two conveyor belts that may be ofeither a perforated or non-perforated material. After traveling thelength of the first conveyor, the curd is inverted onto the secondconveyor where further matting takes place. At the end of the secondconveyor milling or transfer to an external milling device occurs.

Although these systems allow for the continuous drainage of the cheesecurd, the curd must be deposited on the conveyor in a layer thin enoughto allow the whey to be drained from the curd without agitation. If alayer more than about 3" thick is used with such a system, whey may betrapped in pockets of the cheese curd. This limitation leads to cheeseprocessing systems that are either very large or have a relatively lowthroughput because of the amount of conveyor belt area required to drainthe cheese curd. In addition, such systems are also limited in theirproduction of matted cheese curds.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,389,941 describes a continuous system for themanufacture of cheese in which the curds and whey are separated by meansof an inclined screen and the curd is further dried by means of pegstirrers as it travels along a first conveyor belt. At the end of thefirst conveyor belt, the curd is transferred to two consecutive mattingor stirring belts before passing through an internal milling device tobe salted.

This system may be operated with a much thicker curd layer (8-10") dueto the enhanced drainage caused by the use of peg stirrers, therebydecreasing the overall size of the system for a given throughput ofproduct. The use of peg stirrers also allows for the manufacture ofseveral different types of cheese than could be accomplished with theprevious systems. Unfortunately, the use of peg stirrers in the earlystages of curd drainage tends to shatter the larger curd granules,resulting in an associated loss of bufferfat and moisture. This causessignificant difficulties when attempting to manufacture high moisturecheese varieties using such a system.

Although the present systems for the continuous manufacture of cheeseare adequate for the production of certain type of cheese varieties, itwould be desirable to have a continuous cheese processing system thatmaximizes the drainage of the whey from the curd while minimizing theamount of mechanical damages to the curd and was also capable ofmanufacturing both low and high moisture cheese varieties whileminimizing the overall size of the cheese processing system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for continuouslyprocessing raw cheese curd, consisting of cheese curd and whey. The rawcheese curd is formed into a plurality of continuous ribbons on aconveyor belt, each ribbon comprising a strip of raw cheese curd and anassociated strip of bare space. The conveyor belt receives the ribbonsof raw cheese curd and transports the ribbons while allowing the whey todrain from the cheese curd. The ribbon formation process of the presentinvention permits operation of the cheese processing system at layerdepths of 6-8", thereby minimizing the overall size of the cheeseprocessing system for a given throughput of product.

One or more plowshares or other deflection means are located across theconveyor belt for plowing the ribbons so the strips of raw cheese curdare displaced into their associated strips of bare space, therebyenhancing the natural drainage of the whey from the cheese curd withoutthe risk of mechanical damage associated with peg stirrers. One or moreadditional series of deflection means may be positioned downstream onthe conveyor belt to further drain and thereby firm the cheese curduntil it is able to be agitated by peg stirrers without sustainingdamage.

In the preferred embodiment, the raw cheese curd is supplied as acontinuous layer and is formed into ribbons on the conveyor belt by aseries of generally triangular-shaped dividers or other means. As theribbons of raw cheese curds travel along the conveyor belt, they aredisplaced by a series of static plowshare-like blades mounted in a rowacross the conveyor belt. In another embodiment, a row of slowlyrotating propeller-like augers is used to rotate the strips of cheesecurd into their associated strips of bare space on the conveyor belt.

In a different embodiment, the layer of cheese curd is not separatedinto ribbons prior to deflection. Instead, the first set of plowsharesor augers are used to split the layer of cheese curd into strips as itis being rotated or displaced and a subsequent row of plowshares oraugers is used to deflect the ribbons into their associated strips ofbare space on the conveyor belt.

In still another embodiment, the cheese curd is supplied to the conveyorbelt as a series of ribbons created by a series of outlet pipes pumpingthe cheese curd onto the conveyor belt. Again, a row of plowshares oraugers is then used to deflect the ribbons into their associated stripsof bare space on the conveyor belt.

Cheese processing systems utilizing the present invention may alsoinclude additional mechanisms to stir or mat the cheese curd prior todischarge. Water sprays may be introduced to wash the cheese curd at anystage during the process and common salt in the form of particles orbrine solution may also be added to the curd at any point during theprocess.

Accordingly, it is a primary objective of the present invention toprovide a method and apparatus for continuously processing cheese thatmaximizes the natural drainage of the whey from the curd whileminimizing the amount of mechanical damage to the curd.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method andapparatus for continuously processing cheese that is capable ofmanufacturing both low and high moisture cheese varieties.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide method andapparatus for continuously processing cheese that minimizes the overallsize of the cheese processing system.

These and other objectives of the present invention will become apparentwith reference to the drawings, the detailed description of thepreferred embodiment and the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cut-away isometric view of a cheese processing apparatus inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan cut-away view of the draining belt of a cheeseprocessing apparatus in accordance with the present invention showingthe ribbon formation of the raw cheese curd.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation sectional view of the supplymeans of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of an alternate embodiment ofthe plowshare blade delfection means of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of an alternative embodimentshowing a straight blade deflection means.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of another alternate embodimentshowing an auger blade deflection means.

FIG. 7 is a simplified side view with parts cut-away of a low-profileembodiment of the present invention showing alternative placement of thedraining and matting belts.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention will be described. The cheese processing apparatus forcontinuously processing raw cheese curd consisting of cheese curd andwhey is constructed in an enclosed housing 10 made of stainless steel orother corrosion resistant material. The housing 10 comprises a bottompan 12 that is V-shaped in cross-section to allow for drainage of fluidsto the center of the bottom pan 12, two vertical side walls 14, twovertical end walls 16 and a top section 18. In the preferred embodiment,the housing 10 is supported by a plurality of legs 20 to allow foraccess to the underside of the bottom pan 12. As shown best in FIG. 7,the height of the legs 20 may be adjusted to provide gravitationaldrainage of the whey from the bottom pan 12. Other means of supportingthe housing 10 may be used such as mounting the housing directly onfooting in the floor or suspending the housing from ceiling of thebuilding where it is located. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, thedimensions of the housing 10 are 44'×12' and stands 13' high. Oneadvantage of the dimensions of the housing 10 for the cheese processingapparatus of the present invention is that, unlike some of the prior artprocessing systems, the present invention may be assembled off-site andshipped to the manufacturing location for installation, rather thanbeing assembed and built within the factory.

In the preferred embodiment, the top section 18 includes an elevatedportion 22 to accommodate a supply means 24 for supplying the slurry ofraw cheese curd to the cheese processing apparatus. Referring now toFIGS. 1 and 3, the supply means 24 comprises a distribution trough 26,an inclined draining screen 28 comprised of a wedge wire or perforatedstainless steel screen and one or more raw curd inlets 30 that aredisposed in the elevated portion 22 and connected to a vat or othersource (not shown) for supplying the raw cheese curd to the distributiontrough 26. The downstream side of the distribution trough 26 acts as aweir providing the slurry of raw curd to the draining screen 28. Theprimary separation of the whey from the curds takes place via the weirand the draining screen 28. The inclined draining screen 28 may be setan angle of 45°-60° from horizontal by operation of the pivot means 29frictionally engaging draining screen 28 and sliding the lower end ofthe supply means 24 along the draining belt 32.

Although the supply means 24 used as the supply and primary separationmeans for raw cheese in the preferred embodiment distribution consistsof the distribution trough 26 and inclined draining screen 28, it shouldbe understood that other means for supplying the raw cheese curd couldbe used without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thedistribution trough 26 could be eliminated or the inlets 30 could enterthe distribution trough horizontally or tangentially, rather thanvertically. It would also be possible to pump the raw cheese curd slurryinto a trough in order to form a continuous layer of cheese curd. Instill another embodiment, the raw cheese curd could be pumped directlyonto the draining belt 32 in ribbons by spacing a series of inlets 30across the draining belt 32.

In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1, there are three endlessconveyer belts located within the housing 10: a top draining belt 32,and a second and third matting belts 34 and 36. In the embodiment shownin FIG. 1, the belts 32, 34 and 36 are positioned longitudinally in thehousing 10 in a vertically spaced relationship with one another. In thelow-profile alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the height of thehousing 10 is reduced and the length increased by positioning both thedraining belt 32 and the first of the matting belts 34 on the samelevel. In this embodiment, the draining belt 32 is slightly inclined toposition the downstream end of the draining belt 32 above the start ofthe matting belt 34.

Each conveyer belt 32, 34, and 36 includes an endless belt 38 that iswater permeable. In the preferred embodiment, the endless belt 38 isformed of a series of plastic slats joined together with plastic pinssuch as Series 300, available from Intralox Corp., New Orleans, La. Theendless belt 38 may also be made of other material such as stainlesssteel slats or a woven stainless steel. Provided that mechanicalstirrers on not used on the draining belt 32, the draining belt 32 mayalso be made of a fabric or other similar material. As shown best inFIG. 7, the conveyor belts 32, 34 and 36 are each supported by a seriesof longitudinal static supports 40 and driven either by a gearedelectric motor or other means (not shown) via a series of drivesprockets 42. The speed of the belts 32, 34 and 36 can be varied eithermechanically or electronically to control the depth and processing timeof the cheese curd, depending upon the variety of cheese beingmanufactured.

Referring again to FIG. 1, as the raw cheese curd it transported fromone end to the other along each of the conveyer belts 32, 34 and 36,whey is allowed to separate from the curd and drain into an intermediatecollection pan 46 or the bottom pan 12 and is ultimately drained out ofthe system for disposal or further processing. The intermediate pans 46prevent the whey from dripping from one belt to the other below it. Atthe downstream end of the belts 32 and 34, slides 48 invert the cheesecurd and transfer it to the next belt for further processing.

Referring now to FIG. 2, at the lower end of the draining screen 28 is adivider means 50 that comprises a plurality of dividers 52 forseparating the partially separated raw cheese curd into a series ofribbons 54 as the raw cheese curd flows through the dividers 52 onto thedraining belt 32. In the preferred embodiment, the dividers 52 aretriangular shaped wedges or guides for forming the raw cheese curd intothe ribbons 54, each ribbon 54 consisting of a strip of raw cheese curd56 and an associated strip of bare space 58 as shown in FIG. 2. As theribbons 54 clear the dividers 52, the strips of cheese curd 56 will tendto sag and spread out under their own weight, all the time exuding wheythat is free to flow away through the adjacent bare spaces 58. In thepreferred embodiment, the dimensions of the ribbons 54 consist of astrip of cheese curd 56 that is 6" wide and 6"-8" thick and anassociated strip of bare space 58 that is approximately 9" wide. Thethickness of the ribbons 54 of cheese curd may be varied depending uponthe speed of the draining belt 32, the angle of the inclined drainingscreen 28 and the rate at which the raw cheese curd is pumped into thesupply means 24.

One or more deflection means 60 are located along the draining belt 32for deflecting the ribbons 54 so that the strips of raw cheese curd 56are deflected into the associated strips of bare space 58, therebyenhancing the drainage of the whey from the cheese curd. The deflectionmeans 60 are placed at a distance along the draining belt 32 that isdetermined by the type of cheese product being made. The movement of theconveyor belt 32 carries the ribbons 54 past the deflection means 60.The deflection means 60 are positioned at such an angle as to cause thestrips of cheese curd 56 to be displaced sideways and partially invertedinto the associated strip of bare space 58. In an alternate embodimentshown in FIG. 4, each row of deflection means 60 are provided with apair of transverse members 61 that may be used to adjust the angle ofthe deflections means 60 with respect to the strips of cheese curd 56.It will be apparent that other means of adjusting the angle of thedeflection means 60, such as rotary controls or other types ofelectro-mechanical or hydraulic linkages would work equally as well.

The deflection means 60 provide for a gentle agitation of the strips ofcheese curd 56 that allows the whey to drain form pockets that form inthe cheese curd while minimizing the mechanical damage to the cheesecurd itself. This reduction in mechanical damage facilitates themanufacture of high moisture cheese varieties and reduces losses of fatfrom the cheese curd. Because of the increase drainage efficiencyassociated with the use of the deflection means 60, it is possible tooperate the cheese processing apparatus of the present invention withcheese curd layers of 6"-8", thereby reducing the overall size of thehousing 10 necessary to achieve a given throughput of cheese product.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, in the preferred embodiment the deflectionmeans 60 comprises a row of plowshare-like blades 62, consisting of aninclined lever mechanism for each ribbon 54. The blades 62 arepositioned across the direction of travel of the draining belt 32. Theblades 62 are suspended from a support structure (not shown) above thedraining belt 32 and may be lowered or rotated into position either justabove or resting on the draining belt 32. In this embodiment, the blades62 are slightly curved so as to invert or rotate the strip of cheesecurd 56 as it comes into contact with the blades 62.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the deflection means 60 comprisesa row of straight blades 62 that achieve the displacement of the stripsof cheese curd 56 without any rotating effect caused by the blades 62.If should be noted that more than one series or type of deflection means60 may be placed along the length of the draining belt 32, dependingupon the degree of draining and matting required for the particularcheese product being processed.

In still another embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the deflection means 60comprises a series of screw-like auger blades 64 on a transverse rod 66that achieve the displacement of the strips of cheese curd 56 throughthe rotational effect of the auger blades 64. In this embodiment, theauger blades 64 are formed as a series of continuous screw-like augers,one for each of the strips 56. The auger blades 64 must be driven by anexternal power source other than the force of the strips of cheese curd56 traveling along the draining belt 32 in order to prevent the augerblades 64 from walking with the strips 56 rather than rotating them.

In still another embodiment, the layer of cheese curd is not separatedinto ribbons prior to deflection. Instead, the first set of plowsharesor augers are used to split the layer of cheese curd into strips as itis being displaced or rotated. In this embodiment, the strips aredisplaced into the open area on the belt created by rotating ordisplacing the adjacent strip. A subsequent row of plowshares or augersis used to deflect the ribbons into their associated strips of barespace on the conveyor belt.

After the draining process is completed, additional processing in theform of matting or stirring may occur. As the ribbons of cheese curd 54travel along the draining belt 32 after interacting with the last of thedeflection means 60, a longer period of residence on the draining belt32 will cause the strips of cheese curd 56 to sag and spread out intothe adjacent strips of bare space 58, thereby creating a more continuouslayer of cheese curd prior to stirring. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, aseries of pegs stirrers 70, driven by geared electric motors 72 or othermeans, may be placed at intervals througout the remaining length of thedraining belt 32 and lengths of the matting belts 34 and 36. These pegstirrers 70 are of a design such that if their use is not required forthe particular cheese product being processed, the peg stirrers 70 canbe parked in a position where they have no contact with the cheeseproduct passing underneath. Finally, at the discharge end of the secondmatting belt 36, there may be positioned a guillotine device 80 and atransverse discharge conveyor 82 that together permit either slabs ofmatted curd or metered amount of granular curd to be discharged from thesystem.

Although the description of the preferred embodiment has been presented,it is contemplated that various changes could be made without deviatingfrom the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intendedthat the scope of the present invention be dictated by the appendedclaims rather than by the description of the preferred embodiment.

I claim:
 1. A cheese processing apparatus for continuously processingraw cheese curd consisting of cheese curd and whey, comprising:supplymeans for continuously supplying said raw cheese curd; divider meansoperably coupled with said supply means for forming said raw cheese curdinto a plurality of continuous ribbons, each ribbon comprising a stripof raw cheese curd and an associated strip of bare space; and conveyorbelts means for receiving said ribbons at a first location on said beltmeans and transporting said ribbons to a second location on said beltmeans while allowing the whey to drain, whereby the drainage of the wheyfrom the cheese curd is enhanced by the formation of the continuousribbons.
 2. The cheese processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein saidsupply means supplies said raw cheese curd as a continuous layer of rawcheese curd.
 3. The cheese processing apparatus of claim 2 wherein thesupply means comprises:one or more inlets connected to an externalsource of said raw cheese curd; a distribution trough for receiving saidraw cheese curd from said inlets; and an inclined draining screen havingan upper end operably coupled with said distribution trough means and alower end operably coupled with said divider means, whereby said rawcheese curd flows into said distribution trough and onto said drainingscreen for continuously supplying said layer of raw cheese curd.
 4. Thecheese processing apparatus of claim 3 wherein the divider meanscomprises a series of triangular wedges located at the lower end of saiddraining screen and perpendicular to said draining screen.
 5. The cheeseprocessing apparatus of claim 3 wherein the divider means comprises aseries of triangular wedges located at the lower end of said drainingscreen and parallel to said draining screen.
 6. The cheese processingapparatus of claim 1 further comprising stirring means located alongsaid belt means downstream from said divider means for stirring saidcheese curd after it has drained.
 7. The cheese processing apparatus ofclaim 1 further comprising one or more matting belts operably locateddownstream from said conveyor belt means.
 8. A cheese processingapparatus for continuously processing raw cheese curd consisting ofcheese curd and whey, comprising:supply means for continuously supplyingsaid raw cheese curd; divider means operably coupled with said supplymeans for forming said raw cheese curd into a plurality of continuousribbons, each ribbon comprising a strip of raw cheese curd and anassociated strip of bare space; conveyor belts means for receiving saidribbons at a first location on said belt means and transporting saidribbons to a second location on said belt means while allowing the wheyto drain; and one or more defleciton means operably coupled with saidbelt means and located between said first and second locations on saidbelt means for deflecting said ribbons so that at least one of saidstrips of raw cheese curd is deflected into said associated strip ofbare space, thereby enhancing the drainage of the whey from the cheesecurd.
 9. The cheese processing apparatus of claim 8 wherein thedeflection means comprises a series of plowshares blades located in arow across said belt means.
 10. The cheese processing apparatus of claim8 wherein the deflection means comprises a series of straight bladeslocated in a row across said belt means.
 11. The cheese processingapparatus of claim 8 wherein the deflection means comprises a series ofauger blades spaced apart on a transverse rod located across said beltmeans and an external power source for rotating said rod and said augerblades.
 12. The cheese processing apparatus of claim 8 wherein saiddeflection means is suspended above said belt means and may be movedinto position so that said deflection means is operably engaged withsaid belt means.
 13. The cheese processing apparatus of claim 8 whereinsaid deflection means further comprises angle adjustment means forselectively adjusting the angle of said deflection means with respect tosaid strips of cheese curd.
 14. The cheese processing apparatus of claim8 wherein said supply means supplies said raw cheese curd as acontinuous layer of raw cheese curd.
 15. The cheese processing apparatusof claim 14 wherein the supply means comprises:one or more inletsconnected to an external source of said raw cheese curd; a distributiontrough for receiving said raw cheese curd from said inlets; and aninclined draining screen having an upper end operably coupled with saiddistribution trough means and a lower end operably coupled with saiddivider means, whereby said raw cheese curd flows into said distributiontrough and onto said draining screen for continuously supplying saidlayer of raw cheese curd.
 16. The cheese processing apparatus of claim15 wherein the divider means comprises a series of triangular wedgeslocated at the lower end of said draining screen and perpendicular tosaid draining screen.
 17. The cheese processing apparatus of claim 15wherein the divider means comprises a series of triangular wedgeslocated at the lower end of said draining screen and parallel to saiddraining screen.
 18. The cheese processing apparatus of claim 8 furthercomprising stirring means located along said belt means downstream fromsaid deflection means for stirring said cheese curd after it hasdrained.
 19. The cheese processing apparatus of claim 8 furthercomprising one or more matting belts operably located downstream fromsaid conveyor belt means.
 20. The cheese processing apparatus of claim19 wherein said matting belt is located on generally the same level assaid conveyor belt means.
 21. The cheese processing apparatus of claim19 wherein said matting belt is located on generally below said conveyorbelt means.